Chapter Twenty-Nine
Maggie adjusted her collar and smoothed down the front of her skirt. It was looser since the last time she’d worn it, but it would have to do since it was the only business-style outfit she owned. She shifted from side to side, checking to make sure everything was tucked and straightened one last time before she switched off the light and left the bathroom.
Glancing at the clock, she smiled. “Ten minutes to spare! And they say women are always late.”
“You will be. Go change.”
She froze, an earring in her fingers halfway to her ear. “What?”
“You’re not going out half-naked. Find something else. Preferably a dress that covers your legs and doesn’t look like it was applied with a paintbrush.”
She glanced down. The hem hit at above her knees, but not ridiculously so, and was probably longer than the current style. It was a pencil skirt, bought at the vintage shop down the street for a steal five years ago. She’d bought it knowing the style would eventually come around again as everything did. Sure, it was formfitting, that’s how it was supposed to be.
“You’re kidding, right?”
Roth’s eyes glittered with a lot more than anger as they scanned down her body, lingering on her hips. “Far from it. I’ve been here for two days and have never seen as much bare skin in my entire adult life. Short skirts, sleeveless tops, backless dresses, the necklines plunging in front to reveal most of the breasts. While most human females dress immodestly, my mate will not be one of them. Change.”
Maggie stared at him gape-mouthed.
“Never mind,” he said, changing his mind abruptly, “if that’s what you chose out of a closet brimming with clothing, I’ll make the selection myself.” He stood and stalked determinedly to her large walk-in. Which, for New York, was the size of some entire apartments.
Hearing hangers slapping together snapped her out of shock. She couldn’t believe he was going to dictate what she wore.
Check that. Primarian male…Neanderthal man—virtually the same thing.
It meant his objections, which were entirely unreasonable, weren’t going to change despite her attempts to make him see reason. She tried anyway.
“This suit is conservative by current fashion standards. Besides, when in Rome, one does like the Romans.”
“That means nothing to me since the name of this city is New York. And whether here, in Ariad, or in this Rome you speak of, you will dress appropriately, mate, or you don’t leave the apartment.” Although still submerged in her brimming closet, his words were as sharp and resolute as honed steel.
“Yep. Neanderthal man,” she muttered. “And here I thought I’d seen the last of him. Boy, was I wrong.”
“I looked it up.”
What’s that?” she asked, looking up to see him standing in the doorway.
“Flat-skulled, grunting, cave dwellers,” he answered pointedly. “I looked it up on the Odyssey’s computer, what I saw of your Neanderthal man wasn’t flattering, Maggie.”
“Uh, yes, well, I didn’t mean your appearance. You’re gorgeous, Roth, I’ve told you that often enough.”
“Thank you, but I wasn’t referring to looks. More so, your repeated comment that I am unevolved. If being modern means allowing my mate to parade around half-dressed while other men gawk at her, I’ll stay the way I am.” He handed her several hangers. “Put these on and do so quickly. We’re supposed to be downstairs in eight minutes.”
She eyed what he had chosen. The flowing dress was long, falling nearly to her ankles with a matching cropped sweater. It was more her style than a power suit and what she wore before her unisex USIF uniform, and much like the women wore on Primaria, but it wasn’t right for the occasion.
“We’re meeting with ambassadors; the business suit is more appropriate.”
“It’s that or nothing. Choose now.”
“Nothing?” she inquired pointedly. “I’m to meet with the Security Council buck naked?”
“You are as amusing as a boil on the backside, mate. I don’t have time to spank you now, so the recompense for your wisecrack will have to wait until later.” With his arms crossed over his chest, he arched one black brow when she didn’t budge. “We are going to be very late.”
With an eye roll, she started for the bathroom.
“No need. Put it on here, so that I may help you.” Without hesitation, he pulled the cropped blazer from her shoulders and down her arms. As it fell to the floor, his fingers worked the buttons of her blouse. When he reached around to undo the zipper on her skirt, she glanced up at him and smiled.
Both sable brows arched sharply this time. “What?”
“Even though you’re unevolved, I rather like the fact you don’t want other men gawking at me, and it’s quite nice how you notice everything about me.”
“Why wouldn’t I? You’re my mate, and I love you.”
That got him a full grin. “I love you, too, my sexy Neanderthal.”
“You pour on the sass when you know I don’t have time to do anything about it, but I warn you, mate, don’t push me, or ten minutes late will turn into one of your half hours.” As the skirt slithered down her legs, his hands moved over her bottom, giving each cheek a firm squeeze. “Better yet, I’ll take care of it on the way. These cars they send for us have very roomy rear seats.”
“I’ll be good.”
“Mmmm, that would be a first.”
“Roth!”
Down to her bra and panties, he frowned at those, too.
“I’m not taking these off. No way! I refuse to walk into a room full of foreign dignitaries with my boobs jiggling and my ass hanging out.”
He barked with laughter as he ran a finger over the sheer lace of her bra. “That makes for a stunning visual, but I wasn’t going to make you take them off, little one. I was going to insist you wear them to bed tonight because these ‘undies’ you favor are freaking hot.”
She giggled at the Earth slang he’d appropriated from her. “I think I’m a bad influence on you, Commander.”
“I think so, too.” He dipped his head and took her lips briefly. When he pulled back, he dropped the dress over her head. After she smoothed it over her hips, he held out the sweater for her to slip her arms through and settled it around her shoulders. “Beautiful,” he murmured huskily, taking her in, “and the dress is nice, too.” With a wink, he took her hand, tugging her toward the door.
“Wait,” she called, veering for the closet. “Shoes.”
***
“I think I’m going to be sick.”
Seated beside Lana, Saige observed her with a worried frown. “You can do this, honey. After facing down the wrath of the general and not peeing yourself, I have faith you can do anything.”
She shook her head, anxiety written plainly across her face. “Look where we are.”
“New York?” Tessa offered.
Having rounded the corner past anxious and racing headlong toward panic, Lana practically squealed her response. “It’s the United Nations!”
“Breathe, Lana,” Maggie urged as she reached over and squeezed her hand. “It’s going to be okay. They’re only searching for answers and some reassurance this is what we need to do for our future.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of, Maggie. I’m not a politician. What if I say something wrong and they decide against the alliance? It could cause an international incident.”
“You’re thinking on too small a scale,” Saige deadpanned. “This goes wrong, it’s an intergalactic incident.”
Lana groaned.
“Saige,” Maggie said sharply. “You are not helping.”
She grimaced and murmured, “Sorry.”
Hearing male voices and footsteps echoing down the hall, Maggie glanced up and
watched as Roth approached along with the general, another warrior she didn’t know, and two of the elders. She glanced worriedly at Lana. As far as she knew, the last time she’d seen her estranged mate had been the day Trask caved in the wall of her stateroom with his bare fists.
“Here comes Commander Roth and the general,” Tessa announced. “They must be ready
for us.”
Lana, who had been focused on slow breaths to quell her stomach’s upset, didn’t seem to
process what had been said because she didn’t react at first. Instead, she nodded, as if mentally psyching herself up then she stood. Suddenly, she turned to Tessa as it sunk. “Did you say the general?” she whispered.
Tessa nodded once and pointed down the hall.
Lana whirled, taking a step backward when she saw him, her face ghostly
pale. “What is Trask doing here?” she demanded to know.
Surprised by her reaction, Tessa’s eyes shifted to Maggie with concern as she
tentatively answered her agitated friend’s question. “As the highest-ranking officer here, I imagine he is representing Max Kerr.”
“No,” Lana snapped, retreating another step. “That would be Krager.”
“Who?” this from Saige.
“The other man with them. He is the Primmum Ectus, the Princep’s heir, and would
outrank Trask in diplomacy. So again, I’m asking, why is Trask here?” Her voice had risen in volume along with her panic.
Maggie rose and stood beside her, gripping her hand. “Lana, you’ve got to get it together.”
“Yeah,” Tessa added. “You look like you’re halfway to a major freak-out.”
“Wrong,” Lana whispered, her eyes locked on Trask. “I’m already there, and I’m leaving.”
With the men almost upon them, she jerked free of Maggie’s hold and spun in the opposite direction, her eyes darting around frantically. Suddenly, she took off for the sign marked exit at the end of the hall. Maggie grabbed her arm before she got very far.
“I know something is happening between you two, and any other time I wouldn’t ask, but we need you here, Lana. For the good of our mission, you need to put a lid on whatever this is, at least until the end of the hearing.”
“Then can I go home?” She sounded near tears.
“Yes. I’ll take you there myself.”
She nodded and took another calming breath.
“Is there a problem here, Maggie?” Roth asked, coming to a halt by their small group, taking in the restraining grip she had on Lana’s arm before his gaze rose to her visibly distressed face. Next, his eyes shifted to Maggie, a brow arched in question.
“She said she was leaving,” Saige put in when no one else answered.
Maggie glared at her; the woman had no filter.
“What?” Mordrun demanded. “She can’t. They’re ready to begin.” Mordrun spun on Trask. “She’s your female. Rein her in.”
“No longer,” Trask replied shortly. “Her Earth mate, or Krager, will have to attempt to control her. I certainly failed when I tried.”
“Maggie,” Lana groaned, swaying slightly as her hand flew to her forehead.
“She complained of feeling sick, Roth. And I don’t think she’s faking. She’s trembling.”
Mordrun’s eyes narrowed. “The female certainly looks pale and thin.”
“She’s lost weight,” Trask observed, stepping forward. “What’s wrong, paulova?” His voice was gentle with her now.
“I don’t know,” she whispered, closing her eyes.
“She needs a physic. Ellar was downstairs with the other group,” Krager advised.
Trask reached for her. “I’ll take her to him.”
Lana stiffened and stepped back. “I only need to lie down.”
“You’ll fall before you get there. I will carry you.”
“No! Don’t you see? You’re the one making me sick.”
His head snapped up in stunned surprise. “How can that be?”
Without support, she staggered into Maggie, who caught her, but barely. “I’m sorry, Trask. I didn’t know how to tell you without hurting you. It started before we left Primaria and has gotten worse each time you come near me.”
“This is why you ran?” His hand reached toward her, as if on instinct. When she flinched, letting out a broken sob, he jerked it away. Watching them in such torment was gut-wrenching. Maggie glanced over at Roth, seeing her concern reflected in his eyes.
“I don’t mean to sound insensitive,” Krager cut in. “This unusual reaction must be examined, thoroughly, but it must wait. The Security Council is ready for us.”
“She can’t go in like this,” Trask stated, sounding raw, with deep frown lines marring his handsome face.
“The ladies’ room has a bench where she can lie down,” Tessa suggested.
“I’ll see she gets there,” Maggie offered, preparing to assist her down the hall.
“No,” Roth objected. “They are expecting you of all the females to be there.” He looked at Trask, and to Krager next. “Kanei,” he stated brusquely, glancing down the hall to where he stood with two others on guard. He waved the warrior over. “Take Lana downstairs to Ellar. One of the other females will go with you, in case she needs something. We will explain her sudden illness to the committee.”
With a nod, Kanei swept Lana up in his arms and carried her down the hall. In her weakened state, her head bobbed lifelessly on his shoulder with every step. Face frozen except for a muscle ticking in his tightly clenched jaw, Trask watched them go.
Roth moved up next to the general.
“I don’t understand. At first, the attraction was strong. Since we’ve been apart, it’s the opposite. I repulse her.”
“And her transformation has been negated,” Mordrun murmured. “Such a thing has never happened before.”
When Trask made a low tortured sound, Roth sent the elder a quelling look. “We’ll confer with Jarlan tomorrow. I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation.”
“There is, according to Lana. The bond didn’t take.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
Trask looked at him, his features tormented. “What about the past few months has?”
The clearing of a throat caught their attention. A young man in a dark-blue suit stood at the open door of the council chamber. “They are ready for you now, ma’am, and sirs.”
Roth settled a hand low on Maggie’s back, but before they followed the page inside, he hesitated a moment more. “It seems you’re a one-woman show, mate. Are you ready for this?”
“As long as you’re coming with me.”
“You couldn’t keep me away,” he replied, with a light sweep of his hand up and down her spine.
Leaning into him, she reached up and tenderly laid her hand on his cheek. “In what universe would I ever want to, Commander?”
Trask, who was still standing next to them staring at the spot where Kanei had last been seen with Lana in his arms, made a noise of disgust before he moved forward and entered the Security Council chamber ahead of them.
“Maybe, we shouldn’t be so obvious with our affection around them,” Maggie suggested. “It’s rather unkind to rub our successful bonding in their faces.”
“They have only to look into your beautiful blue-violet eyes, purrada. Besides, celebrating our joy is not rubbing it in.”
“Yes, well, perhaps cutting out the PDA would be a nice thing to do.”
“PDA?”
“Public displays of affection. They’re often frowned upon in our world.”
“Primarians are open with their affection, Maggie. I’ll curb my inclinations to kiss you, and touch you when Trask is around.” He looked pointedly at the door. “Since he’s out of sight now, I’m not curbing anything.”
As if to prove his point, he touched his lips to hers in a feather-soft caress, right there in the main hall. When he lifted his head, he slid a finger along her jaw. “We better go in.”
He moved them to the same door Trask and the others had used.
“Has Lana given you any idea what’s happening with them?”
“Other than it’s over, she’s staying home, and every time I see her, she looks as if someone ran over her cat? No.”
“And he is equally miserable,” Roth stated.
“So, what is this? Is it like anything you’ve heard of before?”
“No, but as Trask mentioned, little about mating with you Earth females is anything we’ve heard of before.”
“I feel bad for them.” She sighed. “And for Ram and Eryn.”
“They are two troubled pairs out of many. In the past six weeks, the reports are of nothing other than successful matings back home.”
“But we have no understanding of why theirs didn’t take. I guess we’ll have to pretend we know what we’re talking about, even though we don’t.”
“We’ll hold ourselves up as a shining example, mate.”
Maggie saw her heart reflected in his tender gaze and despite the significance of the upcoming proceedings, a smile touched her lips. “I like the sound of that, Roth.”
***
Six days later, after endless hours of hearings, twenty-two witnesses, including two physicians, one from each planet, dozens of lab reports, and hastily made diagrams and charts, twelve countries stood in favor of the alliance and signed the treaty. Fifteen others were undecided, with plans to present the details to their state governments with strong recommendations to take part.
The United States, in a rare move toward expediency, had full committee approval, which meant a vote would be eminent in Congress. The president wasn’t leaving anything to chance, however, and under executive order allocated emergency funding to set up testing facilities and transition programs across the country.
As she lay with her head pillowed upon Roth’s shoulder while snuggled together in her queen-size bed at her apartment, Maggie’s mind raced with all that needed to be accomplished before the Dauntless, filled with nervous, soon-to-be Primarian mates could make the trip home.
She rolled toward him, folded her hands on his chest, and propped her chin on top as she began thinking aloud. “We’re going to need more help. We haven’t met with the New Earth transition team yet, that alone will double the workload.”
“New Earth?”
She shrugged. “That’s what they’re calling our new home until they decide on something better.”
His arms tightened around her as he pulled her fully on top of him, his hands sliding up and down her back. This was a familiar position in their small bed, where the width of his shoulders and his height made it a tight fit. Even lying diagonally, with his shoulders propped against the headboard, his feet hung over. Yet he hadn’t complained, usually pulling her over him or rolling them onto their sides and holding her close from behind, his face either buried in her neck, or in her hair while sharing her pillow. He was a full-contact sleeper, even when on the Odyssey, in a Primarian-warrior-sized bed. She never complained, either, enjoying the closeness.
“I was proud of you this week, mate.”
“Thank you, though all I did was present a viable option for our future. With your help, we could have the new colony up and running in months, a year at the most, and that includes travel time. And in the same period, two to three thousand voluntary brides could be transported to their eager Primarian mates.”
“Brides?”
“If you haven’t noticed, we’re big on names and titles.” She shrugged again, watching as a grin overtook his features, one which she returned easily before going on. “A focus group found calling them brides more amenable than mates. Do you think your males would be agreeable to a small civil ceremony?”
“If it makes their female happy, I don’t see why not? I’ll mention it to Kerr on our next relay call.”
“Thank you, honey.”
His grin broadened into a disarming smile.
After months of staring into his gorgeous lavender eyes, gliding her hands through his long silky hair, tasting his mouth, and being on the receiving end of his devastating grin, she still wondered what she had done to be so favored. And those were Roth’s attributes from the neck up only. An inventory of his body, and of all the things he did that made her feel loved, protected, and cherished, would take all night.
“I like when you call me that?”
“What’s that?” Trying to remember what she’d been saying before her mind took a fantasy trip of all things Roth.
“You called me honey; I like it.”
“Better than commander?” she asked softly.
“I rather like that, too, although my favorite is when you’re aroused, and you moan my name in your breathy, husky voice.” He slid her up his chest further, mouth descending to hers, and she moaned in anticipation.
“Roth…”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
There wasn’t much said after that unless groans counted, and pleas for more and harder, what could be heard over the rhythmic slapping of their skin. Or Maggie’s moans when Roth got up on his knees, lifted her with easy strength and with his forearms hooked under her legs, pistoned up inside her. It wasn’t long before her whimpers became a sustained cry merging with Roth’s full-throated growls and they came spectacularly together.
When he laid her down, many long, pleasure-infused minutes later, and collapsed beside her, completely spent, he rolled them to their sides. In his favorite sleeping position, his big body curling protectively around her from behind, she felt something warm lightly brush her temple as his low, velvety voice murmured, “Sleep, little captain, I’m here.”
She gasped as déjà vu seared into her brain. Her eyes flew open as she wiggled around to face him. “You were there that night!”
“Of course, I was, purrada. They told me you were calling for me. How could I stay away?”
“But that was before…”
“We were mated? From the moment I saw you, Maggie, you stirred my blood. Deep down, I knew, even while I resisted, in denial of the truth. You have always been mine. When you needed me, I had to be with you.”
“Roth,” she whispered, blinking uselessly at the tears that couldn’t be stopped.
“Don’t cry,” he urged as his hands gently cupped her cheeks, wiping the droplets away with his thumbs as he tilted her face up for his kiss. “Maes eternium, my precious mate, then, now, and for eternity,” he murmured against her lips.
“Yes,” she managed between shallow, panting sobs, “as you are also mine forever, my beloved Commander.”